Customer Reviews

Mellow Guitar

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this is solo guitar 101. and once you listen to it you realize it is solo guitar 401!for all its "mellowness" it is deceptive.on every track mr. vaneps does something remarkable. every track is a work of art, a very complex work of art. do yourself a favor and buy this cd!

Pure, crisp, clean, perfect. 7 strings, of course, and the only guy who's ever made that work. Warm tone, unmatched, even on an old recording. This guy could teach Stradivarius how to play. I've been waiting for this to come out on CD for years... he's as rare as my '57 Strat. Don't pass it up. Whatever your guitar music preference is, from Henrix to Paco de Lucia, this guy is just awesome. You'll be wondering, "How'd he do that?", when you're not thinking, "Wow."

I had heard about this recording for years, but didn't realize that it came out on disc. It was recorded in the 50's, but sounds like it was recorded yesterday - very crisp. I was a little skeptical at first, simply because there was a string section included. I was afraid it might ruin his playing. But the strings were beautifully and tastefully arranged, so Van Eps' guitar was clearly in the front of the mix. As far as his playing goes, it inspired me to go out and buy a 7 string guitar - that should tell you something! I've been playing for over 20 years, but this recording made me realize that, for solo guitar, the instrument isn't complete unless you have that 7th string.
Beautiful chords.. If you're a guitar fan or player, get it - simple as that.

All of this cd is done on solo guitar including the bass lines...unbelieveable!

Mellow Guitar was originally release on December 31, 1956.

If you play guitar of any style, this should be one of the foundational albums in your collection. Mr. Van Eps is called the father of the 7-String guitar and you can learn a lot about bass, rhythm, and melody for Van Eps plays all three, at the same time. Influencing many guitarists, but only recording a few albums, he was in great demand by the giants of the music industry and was a "first call" musician by many recording artist.

This album contains both solo and accompanied cuts of standards and two original songs. "Tango El Bongo", in my opinion, is the highlight of this collection. This original piece is pure genius played by a master technician who combines excellence in execution and brilliance in composition. If you love classical music, don't be surprised if you hear a little Debussy in the bridge.

Also included is an eight page booklet with information and vintage photos. A first class reissue.

This "Mellow Guitar" CD is just that. It is easy listening at its best. If you're looking for mellow background music for dinner or romance, this is the one. It's pure music of highest quality. (Another recommendation for background music is "My Favorite Requests" by John Arpin which is mellow piano.)

Don't be fooled. This is advertised as solo guitar, but it is not. The guitar music is great, but the strings, etc. ruin the whole experience!

I bought this album on vinyl in 1957. Now,on cd, it's still the best.